More costs or less revenue?

According to our Minister of Transport Lui Tuck Yew, transport operators will need to incur S$28 million of costs if they were to give polytechnic students full student travel concessions. The exact wording is:

"On the estimated additional cost to the operators if polytechnic students are given full student travel concessions, it will cost the operators about $28 million per year based on today's fares."

(Sourced from the Ministry of Transport webpage)

Let's not debate over whether polytechnic students should be given full student travel concessions or not. What I wish to highlight is his choice of words, mainly, "it will cost the operators". 

Earning less revenue is different from incurring more costs. Do the operators need to fork out more money to give polytechnic students concessions? No. They simply earn less. So LTY's statement is wrong. The additional cost should only refer to the costs in administering the concession for polytechnic students, for example, manpower costs, IT costs for modifying the system to allow the concession, and so on. 

Thus, a more correct way of putting it would be: 

"If polytechnic students are given full student travel concessions, operators will earn about S$28 million less per year based on today's fares." 

Obviously he could not put it this way, because it would seem like he is more concerned with the operators' profits. If one were to assume that the student travel concession is a right for polytechnic students, one could even rephrase the sentence to:

"If polytechnic students are not given full student travel concessions, operators will earn about S$28 million more per year based on today's fares."

Poop pee pee poop

I woke up this morning to find my room full of shit, literally. My dog had pooped, stepped on it, and wandered around the whole room. So I hurriedly carried him to the bathroom and cleared the mess, most of which had already hardened. After that, I went to wash his feet and bottom, wiped him dry, then left him at the balcony for his paws to be totally dry, while I went to wash clothes.

Just five minutes later, I came out of the kitchen to find the balcony full of pee - and paw prints (made from pee). Evidently, the same thing had happened. So I had to carry him to the bathroom again while I got a bucket of water to the balcony to wash up. Following that, it was paw-washing time again, and I was quite exhausted even though barely half an hour had passed. What a nice way to start the day.

But the story hasn't ended. At night, in the living room, he peed and stepped on it again. After washing up and quarantining him at the balcony again, he pooped there. The only fortunate thing was that I managed to grab him before he stepped on his poop.

Now I know why today is an auspicious day to go to work (for those born in the year of the rooster). It would have been a good way to avoid all this shit.

Stair-climbing

After a conversation with my colleague, I decided to take up stair-climbing again. But this time, to do it seriously. Previously, climbing the stairs was just a supplement to swimming, where I would climb to the 20th floor where I stay after a swim. But now, I decided to make it a primary activity. 

So yesterday, I took the lift down to the 1st floor and started the climb. What I did was, I would climb all the way to the 24th floor, then take the lift down to the 1st floor again, then repeat. On the way down, I would take the opportunity to stretch my legs. In total, I managed to hit 100 floors in 35 minutes.

My legs weren't that sore after that, so I expected the pain to come the next morning. But strangely, I didn't feel any aches today at all. I should do this regularly! I went to read up on the benefits of stair-climbing, and here are some important points:

- It's free!

- It supposedly burns about twice as many calories than any other sport or activity.

- It is an intense exercise that can increase our heart rate quickly, so it helps in our cardiovascular fitness.

- It can help to build bone strength as it is weight bearing.

- It is low impact and safe for the knees. Just remember to take the lift down after a climb.

- It leverages on gravity, so the heavier we are, the harder it is and the more calories we burn.

CFA Level I - June or December?

One of my friends has decided to take up CFA, but she hasn't decided whether to take the June or December paper for Level I. Time wasn't the main issue - she was more concerned about the historical passing rate for each paper, and wanted to sit for the one with a higher passing rate. 

CFA Institute actually publishes their exam results all the way from 1963, so there is no lack of historical data to do a proper analysis. However, CFA Institute only started offering two seatings for Level I from 2003, so our sample size is limited to eight years (2011 December results not out yet). 

We can use statistics to determine whether there is any significant difference between the June and December passing rates for Level I. Here's the relevant extract of our data, in the format Year: June passing rate / December passing rate.

2003: 42% / 40%

2004: 34% / 36%

2005: 36% / 34%

2006: 40% / 39%

2007: 40% / 39%

2008: 35% / 35%

2009: 46% / 34%

2010: 42% / 36%

The full report can be found here. 

For this, the statistical distribution to use would be the Student's t-distribution for paired samples, with the following hypothesis:

H₀ : There is no difference between the passing rates.

H₁: There is a difference between the passing rates.

The formula to be used is:

where X_D refers to the average of the differences, s_D is the standard deviation of the differences, n is the sample size, and μ₀ refers to the amount of difference to be tested. Since we are testing whether there is any difference or not, μ₀ would be zero. Our sample size n is 8, as given below. The degree of freedom should be n - 1.

So we start by calculating the differences between the passing rates (June subtract December), which would give us:

2003: 2%

2004: -2%

2005: 2%

2006: 1%

2007: 1%

2008: 0%

2009: 12%

2010: 6%

The average of the differences, X_D, is 2.75, and their standard deviation, s_D, is 4.367085. Calculating t  using the above formula would give us 1.781. Since we are trying to find out whether there is a difference (as opposed to one being larger than the other), this is a two tailed test. Assuming a 5% level of significance with a degree of freedom of 7, the t statistic is 2.365 (refer to the t-distribution table here). This means that our test statistic must be bigger than this figure in order for us to reject the null hypothesis H₀.

Since 1.781 < 2.365, there is insufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis and we can conclude that there is no significant difference between the CFA Level I passing rates for June and December. Of course, for 2009 and 2010 the difference seems to be bigger, so if one were to rely on these two years, they would be more compelled to take the June paper. Will update this entry when the results for 2011 December are announced.

Update as of 29th Jan 2012:
The December 2011 results for Level I were just out, and the passing rate was 38% as compared to 39% for June 2011. Redoing the test would give us the following updated values:


X_D = 2.555
s_D = 4.126473
n = 9
test statistic t = 1.858
t statistic (from table) = 2.306
degrees of freedom = 8


Since 1.858 < 2.306, the original results remain the same. This can actually be figured out without even redoing the test, as the additional data of 1% difference is obviously not significant.

Misunderstood Foods

Came across an article on Savour (a magazine by Cold Storage) on commonly misunderstood foods. The article is written by nutritionist Sheeba Majmudar, and I have focused on three of the eight foods that she wrote about.

Eggs

Eggs are commonly believed to be high in cholesterol, and the egg yolk is not good for our health. However, respected medical journals like the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have proved that eating eggs does not increase blood serum cholesterol levels at all. Eggs are actually high in proteins and nutrients, and it is perfectly all right to eat one every day.

Salt

It's true that table salt is not beneficial, but rock salt or sea salt (unrefined) is actually good for us. According to the article, they contain over 72 different trace minerals that are vital for all of our body's metabolic functions. It is highly recommended that we use rock salt or sea salt in cooking as a replacement for table salt.

Butter

Unlike vegetable oils, butter doesn't oxidise even under high temperatures. It also doesn't contain trans fat, which is commonly found in margarine. However, we should still eat it in moderation because of its high saturated fat contents.

Beefy mispricing

Recently, I visited Culina at NTUC Fairprice Finest. They were having a Lunar New Year shabu shabu promotion, but one glance at the brochure and I could tell that something was wrong.

CNY Platter 1: Beef Shabu Shabu (1kg) = $48

CNY Platter 2: Beef Shabu Shabu (600g) + Wagyu Beef Shabu Shabu (400g) = $68

CNY Platter 3: Wagyu Beef Shabu Shabu (500g) = $88

Let's work out the unit pricing.

From CNY Platter 1, beef shabu shabu costs $48/kg. Using this unit price for CNY Platter 2, it means that wagyu beef shabu shabu costs $98/kg. But CNY Platter 3's wagyu beef shabu shabu costs a staggering $176/kg! 

So CNY Platter 3 doesn't make sense at all. Because even if I buy CNY Platter 2 and discard the beef shabu shabu, I will effectively be paying $68 for 400g of wagyu beef shabu shabu. This works out to be $170/kg, which is still cheaper than CNY Platter 3.

They either made a mistake, or they did it on purpose just to make Platter 2 more attractive and get people to buy. I wonder which is more likely.

Forming bingo words for Words with Friends

'Bingo' words, in the context of Words with Friends, actually refers to 7-letter words. Putting such words give you a nice 35 point bonus, so naturally, people expect such words to be very difficult to put. However, it is actually easier than it looks.

1) Look out for 'DE', 'RE', and 'UN' in your tiles. With a 'S', it is even easier.

Such tiles provide a shortcut in forming bingo words. DE can be put in front of a word easily, for example, DESERVE, DERIVES, DECLARE, DEFLATE. Or putting them behind a word (ED) as a past tense, like ENACTED, DRAINED, FAVORED, FANCIED, DRAGGED, HANDLED. 

As for RE, it can also be put in front (RE) or behind a word (ER). Just some quick examples - REFLECT, REFRACT, REGAINS, REALIGNS, FOGGIER, NASTIER, BOUNCER.

UN is used mainly in front of a word, like UNNAMED, UNEARTH, UNEATEN.

So if you have these tiles, put them in front first, then experiment to see if you can form a bingo word. If not, put them behind and try again. In a way, you just need to come out with a 5-letter word and then try adding UN, RE or DE in front, or ER and ED behind. Chances are that you will get some bingo words soon enough. 

Having a 'S' just makes things better, because you can put the 'S' at the end of the word. This is particularly good with UN, RE and DE in front, because effectively you just need to form a 4-letter word.

2) Stuck? Look out for 'connecting letters'.

I don't know the proper name for these letters, but they can be used easily as the second letter of the word. Such letters are R, H, and L. For example, CRANK, DRANK, CHILD, SHIELD, FLOAT, BLUR. Put these letters as the second letter and try.

'S' is rather special, because it can also be put in front of a word and can combine easily with letters (in the second position) which people generally do not think of. For example, SCHOOL, SHOUT, SKATE, SLUR, SMEAR, SNEER, SPEED, SQUAWK, STOUT, SWEAR. 

3) A quick 'one glance' to determine whether to try forming a bingo word.

Some of the best letters to form bingo words are ADEINRS. Having 3 vowels is a good start, and its best if they are AEI. Then if you also have tiles such as S, R, N, or D, it's even better. 

Generally, if you have power tiles like Z or Q in your hand, it is more difficult to form bingo words.

Hua Ting @ Orchard Hotel

My family came here for dinner to celebrate my mother's birthday. Hua Ting is located at Orchard Hotel and serves Cantonese cuisine. It is helmed by Chef Chan Kwok, a rather well-known culinary master who has been with the restaurant since 1997. 

Roast duck, $70

Hua Ting is well known for its roast duck, but I have been here several times and there have been hits and misses. Tonight's was definitely a hit, and was the best I have tried so far. The skin was delightfully crispy, but not to the point of being too dry. And the meat was tender and succulent. Definitely one of the best roast ducks in Singapore! Now, if only they can maintain this standard consistently...

Braised homemade emerald beancurd with local spinach,
topped with fresh crab meat and roe, $10 per serving

My mother liked this because it was quite light, but that was the reason why I didn't really like it. The crab sauce looked rich, but it was too bland and the distinct sweetness of crab was definitely lacking. The beancurd was still quite good, though.

Baked pork ribs with lemon grass, $9

Somehow, I don't think that this dish is special just because they inserted one piece of lemon grass into the pork. It was pan-fried quite well and rather tender, but... something was missing from the dish, and I just couldn't put my finger on it.

Stir fried dou miao with bamboo and prawn roe

The dou miao was fantastic. Unfortunately, that was all. The bamboo chunks had a sour tinge to them, and the prawn roe... wait, what prawn roe? I totally couldn't taste the prawn roe at all.

Braised minced venison with fish belly and egg white soup, $12 per bowl

This was quite disappointing. There was nothing special about it, and the minced venison did not really taste good. The soup could use a bit more salt, and the taste should be richer as well.

Seafood hor fun

After the roast duck, this was the best dish tonight. The hor fun had just the right amount of 'smoky' taste, and the ingredients (scallops, fish, prawns) were all very fresh.

Chilled aloe vera with fresh fruits in whole young coconut, $12

This was a wonderfully refreshing dessert that was deceptively filling. Dragonfruit and mangoes were cut into small cubes and added into a small young coconut, along with aloe vera. The coconut was delightfully tender and delicious, but as I mentioned earlier, it was extremely filling. 

Salmon fillets with leek and cherry tomatoes

Salmon fillets with leek and cherry tomatoes (serves 3)

This is an excellent dish in terms of taste/impression per unit effort. It is easy, delicious, and healthy.

Salmon fillets with leek and cherry tomatoes

Ingredients:

One whole leek, finely sliced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of mustard
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
200g of cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
3 slabs of salmon fillets
Chicken stock
Salt
Black pepper

Instructions:

1) Place the leeks into a large microwave dish and add some chicken stock, until the leeks are around half-immersed in chicken stock. Add a little bit of salt over the leeks.
2) Place the dish into the microwave and cook on high for around 3 minutes, then let it stand for a minute or two.
3) Mix the olive oil, mustard, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl, then season with a bit of salt and pepper.
4) Place the cherry tomatoes on top of the leeks, then drizzle around half the sauce over it.
5) Place the salmon fillets on top of the leeks and cherry tomatoes, and add more chicken stock in. The amount to add depends on how soupy you want this dish to be.
6) Pour the remaining sauce over the salmon fillets, then put the dish back into the microwave and cook on high for around 9 minutes.
7) Let it stand for a while before serving.

Ramen Keisuke Dining @ Millenia Walk

Another popular place for ramen. It belongs to the same chain of ramen restaurants as Tonkotsu King, and is located opposite Nantsuttei, at Millenia Walk #03-02. 

Their ramen choices were pretty standard - Tonkotsu ramen, Tokyo shoyu ramen, Tokyo shio ramen, and Tokyo miso ramen. Wanting to try something different, I ordered the Watarikani ramen, which actually stands for crab stock ramen. Just like Tonkotsu King, customers can choose to customise their ramen in the following ways:

Oil = No oil, less oil, normal, more oil

Noodles = Soft, normal, hard, harder

Soup = Light, normal, rich

* Choices in bold are those that were unavailable in Tonkotsu King during my previous visit.

Watarikani ramen with flavoured egg, $15.80

I have actually eaten this before, and I remember it tasted better in the past. Today's crab stock soup was a tad disappointing - it tasted a bit diluted, even though I selected 'rich' for my soup. However, the egg was still the best, just like Tonkotsu King - perfectly cooked in the sense that the egg white was just cooked, while the egg yolk was semi-runny and you could taste the seasoning they used. 

I ordered 'normal' for my noodles, but it still came out harder than I expected. Not sure if this is normal; maybe I will order 'soft' next time.

And there's also a free flow of marinated beansprouts!

Free flow of marinated beansprouts. I think I ate a third of this bottle.

So far, I have only tried their crab stock ramen. Maybe its time to order their tonkotsu ramen for my next visit.